Incurable Pain | Chapter 18.4
Since they officially started dating, they had unknowingly spent the entire Mid-Autumn Festival holiday together. With the monthly exams and almost a month of being together, Yu Luoyin had been escorting her home after evening self-study every day.
Yu Luoyin even managed to acquire a bicycle from somewhere, claiming he wanted to ride alongside Bai Xunyin.
However, after a few days, Bai Xunyin’s bicycle chain mysteriously broke. Yu Luoyin initially sympathized with her but soon volunteered to ride his bicycle to take her home.
…The coincidence was so uncanny that Bai Xunyin even suspected he might have deliberately done something to the bike. Nevertheless, she still could have taken the bus.
Yet, Yu Luoyin wouldn’t allow it. He even used his status as a ‘boyfriend’ to insist on cycling her home, his determination unwavering.
After a few instances, Bai Xunyin got used to it.
Now, she was familiar with the routine of sitting on the back seat of Yu Luoyin’s bicycle.
When they arrived back home, the smile at the corner of Bai Xunyin’s lips hadn’t faded yet, and perceptive Ji Huiying caught onto it immediately.
….
“Hey, Yinyin, have you had something good going on at school recently?”
Ji Huiying asked while cooking, engaging in casual conversation. “I’ve noticed that you seem happier compared to a while ago.”
Bai Xunyin was leaning against the kitchen door frame, accompanying her mother. With her head slightly tilted and the smile on her face unabated, her eyes seemed to ask, ‘Do you think so?’
“It really seems like you’re much happier. It puts my mind at ease,” Ji Huiying sighed.
“During the past few weeks, you weren’t in a good state, and I thought something might have happened at school. I even considered talking to your teacher about it.”
Bai Xunyin’s smile softened slightly. It was only now that she realized her melancholic state hadn’t just affected her, but also her mother.
It really wasn’t fair to let Ji Huiying worry about her.
Thinking about it that way, she was even more grateful to Yu Luoyin for helping her emerge from that bleak period.
Bai Xunyin walked over and embraced Ji Huiying’s waist, clinging to her like a child. Her lips moved silently, “Mom, I’ve met a really good guy.”
This was a statement that couldn’t be expressed verbally, from both a physiological and psychological standpoint, yet it came from the depths of her heart with genuine delight.
Yu Luoyin, he was truly good, so good.
After Yu Luoyin dropped Bai Xunyin off at home, he leaned against a tree down in the run-down neighborhood, lit a cigarette, and took out his phone. Inside the silenced phone, there were over a dozen missed calls.
Naturally, they were all from those “friends” of his, attempting to find out if anything exciting had unfolded between the two girls and a guy.
Yu Luoyin chuckled softly, glanced at the night club address sent by Zhou Xin, then turned off the phone screen and slipped it into his pocket.
He mounted the German mountain bike that had been air-freighted to him just a week ago through a contact. In the slightly cool evening breeze of October, he pedaled away.
Yet, even the best bicycle couldn’t compare to a Ferrari. Add to that, the weather was cool as autumn arrived in October.
After a short ride around, Yu Luoyin’s face turned a bit pale from the cold, accentuating his dark-as-ink eyes and eyebrows.
He pushed open the door to the private room, and when he walked in, those guys had already devoured most of the dishes.
“Even with all of this, you still want to call me over?”
Yu Luoyin sat down, knocked on the table in displeasure, then ordered a bowl of noodles from the server — not too much for dinner, just a light snack.
“We didn’t call you here for dinner.”
Li Yuan rolled his eyes cheekily, winking and repeatedly asking, “Tell us, tell us, was there a world war just now?”
“What kind of world war could there be?”
Yu Luoyin’s ignorance made the other guys laugh. Then he furrowed his brows, “Who’s in the same class as Sheng Churan? Keep an eye on her, don’t let her spread rumors.”
“Then it can only be us watching out for you.”
Lu Ye huffed coldly and couldn’t help but comment, “That girl can be quite annoying. Her attitude earlier was pretty aggressive.”
“Well, you don’t have to say it like that. I think Sheng Churan is quite attractive. Those big eyes and her figure are good.”
High school boys, being seventeen or eighteen, were still in the phase of judging girls with the simplest criteria of ‘good-looking or not.’
Li Yuan objectively assessed, “But she definitely isn’t as good-looking as that mute girl.”
“Do you even need to say that? In the school’s poll for the campus belle, Sheng Churan was completely outvoted by Bai Xunyin.”
“Brother Yu, when that mute girl came to Lu Hai that day, was she wearing a yellow skirt? She was really pretty then.”
“Enough.”
Yu Luoyin frowned and interrupted them, looking somewhat displeased, “Talk about Sheng Churan if you want, but don’t bring up others.”
Whether Bai Xunyin was good-looking or not, he didn’t want other guys to discuss it.
“Damn, you’re protecting her so much? Wait, Brother Yu, what’s your relationship with the mute girl now?”
Li Yuan couldn’t help but ask, “You’re not actually in a real relationship with her, are you? Isn’t it just a bet?”
When he finished his question, the room suddenly fell into an eerie silence.
No one spoke, not even the sound of lighting a cigarette was heard.
The silence persisted until the server brought the noodles. Only then did the awkward quiet finally break.
“No,” Yu Luoyin picked up his chopsticks to eat the noodles, speaking calmly.
“It’s just a bet.”
“It’s just that that mute girl hasn’t started liking me yet.”
For now, Bai Xunyin only considered him as a ‘savior’, and she hadn’t truly opened her heart to him yet.
In Yu Luoyin’s perspective, this outcome was undoubtedly a failure.
So, the bet couldn’t be considered concluded.
“Maybe you should give up on this.”
Zhou Xin, who usually spoke very little, spoke up surprisingly, flicking the ash off the tip of his cigarette.
“Originally, the bet was just about whether you could win her over. If you end it sooner, I can collect my money sooner.”
He had bet on whether Yu Luoyin could win Bai Xunyin over.
Upon hearing this, Li Yuan looked at Lu Ye with a mischievous grin, echoing, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, you still owe me money!”
Lu Ye exploded, “Get lost!”
Amidst the playful banter, Yu Luoyin quickly finished his bowl of noodles.
He then said , “Mind your own business.”
October went by quickly, and before they knew it, it was the end of the month, time for the mid-term exams.
Bai Xunyin was afraid that dating for a month might affect her studies. So, she spent sleepless nights revising before the exams. Finally, after enduring two days of exams, she was beyond exhausted.
“Xunyin!”
At this moment, Ah Mo, who had just gone outside to buy milk tea, ran back.
Excitement flushed her fair face, and her eyes sparkled as she looked at her, “Someone’s looking for you outside the school! Guess who it is?”
Ah Mo’s excited and blushing appearance left Bai Xunyin perplexed. Who could make her so happy? Was the person here to see her?
Before Bai Xunyin could ask, Ah Mo couldn’t contain herself and announced, “It’s Mu Anping! That guy has returned from Linyin Hai!”
Mu Anping?!
Hearing this name startled Bai Xunyin. Her reaction wasn’t much better than Ah Mo’s; she almost spat out the milk tea in her mouth.
Mu Anping…
Bai Xunyin felt a sense of trance. This name, she hadn’t heard it in nearly two years, as if it had vanished from her world.
“Let’s go, let’s go!”
Ah Mo reached out and pulled her up, lifting her off her seat, “Let’s go out and meet.”
Having said that, she briskly pulled Bai Xunyin out.
As a result, when Yu Luoyin returned from the teacher’s office, Bai Xunyin’s seat was empty.
He tapped on Bai Xunyin’s desk and asked Zhou Xin, who was sitting behind him, chewing gum and working on a workbook, “Where is she?”
“Ah Mo took her out. She said they have a friend coming to see them.”
Zhou Xin didn’t even lift his eyelids, continuing to write as he spoke.
Then, with a suggestive pause, he added with a playful tone, “But it seems like it’s a guy. Judging from Ah Mo’s tone and her reaction… she’s pretty excited.”
A guy…and she’s even excited?
Yu Luoyin paused for a moment, then burst out laughing.